Garden Route Therapy

I was asked at a workshop what I liked most about November and I automatically responded by saying I did NOT like November. I am not really sure what I meant by this reaction because in truth, I did not know November very well. That was before I took Tanzie our dog for an early morning walk along the Rouge River and experienced the first serious frost covered landscape of the season. In this moment, I came to appreciate how magnificent this month really can be. Perhaps November gets ignored as it is overshadowed by the dramatic period before, when the leaves on the trees are on fire with colour, and the period afterwards, when if we are lucky, we get a major dumping of snow. On this particular November morning, every grass blade was transformed into glass, every leaf shape accentuated by a white outline and the Sedam had taken on a magical new colour. The land presented as a confectionery wonderland surrounded by glistening light. It was as if we had found ourselves to be in Wonka’s Woods.

October brought its own set of lessons as I had the chance to take part in a number of community garden fall clean-ups and urban harvest festivals which represent an exciting new trend of reconnecting cities with their food. My main garden maintenance contribution seemed to be working the mulch, an essential component in organic gardening. I learned about the value of adding mulch at this time of year to ensure the soil remains at a more consistent temperature during the winter, especially important with our current freeze-thaw patterns. At the Children’s Garden in High Park we moved compost into the raised beds and covered them with straw mulch. In a few needy spots we included a layer of comfrey leaves that will release plant nutrients.

At the The Julien Project I had the opportunity to lead two fall horticultural therapy sessions with the adults with autism group. We could not escape raking activities in the courtyard. This type of manual work was a new experience for some of the participants and I was not sure they would be too happy with the assignment. It was very apparent however, that the opportunity to give back to the program was appreciated, that the work provided a sense of accomplishment and that new life skills were being learned in the process. In an effort to salvage remnants of the season, we also went on a walkabout to collect fallen leaves throughout the Ignatius Jesuit Centre property. This was followed indoors by filling the presses with our favorite finds.

As for December’s recent arrival, I have felt pushed into accepting that the season is changing, despite being ahead of the official winter solstice. It is a reality check when the tools get lost below a foot of snow because you could not bring yourself to admit you might not have another day of outdoor gardening for some time. As the children from the High Park Children’s Garden know, it is all in the hands of the Garden Protectors now.